Electronic device package

ABSTRACT

Electronic device package technology is disclosed. An electronic device package in accordance with the present disclosure can include a substrate. The electronic device package can also include an electronic component disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the substrate. The electronic device package can further include a connector disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the substrate for communication with the electronic component. The connector can have a contact to interface with a mating connector and configured to provide a signal and/or power to the electronic component to facilitate testing the electronic component. Additionally, the electronic component can include an encapsulant material disposed on the substrate and at least partially encapsulating the electronic component and/or the connector. The contact can be accessible on a top side of the electronic device package to facilitate coupling the connector to a testing device. Associated systems and methods are also disclosed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to electronic devicepackages, and more particularly to facilitating testing of components inelectronic device packages.

BACKGROUND

Current system-in-package (SIP) technology often utilizes manyelectronic components (e.g., stacked memory dies) that are typicallyencapsulated in mold compound. During assembly, it is desirable toperform a series of tests on the electronic components to ensure thatthey function properly (e.g., no faulty electrical connections) toimprove assembly yield and avoid subsequently mounting an expensivecomponent (e.g., a controller) on a defective unit. Testing equipmenttypically utilizes an interposer or test socket board as an adapter forelectrically coupling with a subject SIP.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Technology features and advantages will be apparent from the detaileddescription which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, varioustechnology embodiments; and, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic cross-section of an electronic devicepackage in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic cross-section of an electronic devicepackage in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIGS. 3A-3E illustrate aspects of a method for making an electronicdevice package in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary electronic componenttesting system; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary computing system.

Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, andspecific language will be used herein to describe the same. It willnevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope or tospecific invention embodiments is thereby intended.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Before technology embodiments are disclosed and described, it is to beunderstood that no limitation to the particular structures, processsteps, or materials disclosed herein is intended, but also includesequivalents thereof as would be recognized by those ordinarily skilledin the relevant arts. It should also be understood that terminologyemployed herein is used for the purpose of describing particularexamples only and is not intended to be limiting. The same referencenumerals in different drawings represent the same element. Numbersprovided in flow charts and processes are provided for clarity inillustrating steps and operations and do not necessarily indicate aparticular order or sequence. Unless defined otherwise, all technicaland scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonlyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosurebelongs.

As used in this written description, the singular forms “a,” “an” and“the” provide express support for plural referents unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a layer”includes a plurality of such layers.

In this application, “comprises,” “comprising,” “containing” and“having” and the like can have the meaning ascribed to them in U.S.Patent law and can mean “includes,” “including,” and the like, and aregenerally interpreted to be open ended terms. The terms “consisting of”or “consists of” are closed terms, and include only the components,structures, steps, or the like specifically listed in conjunction withsuch terms, as well as that which is in accordance with U.S. Patent law.“Consisting essentially of” or “consists essentially of” have themeaning generally ascribed to them by U.S. Patent law. In particular,such terms are generally closed terms, with the exception of allowinginclusion of additional items, materials, components, steps, orelements, that do not materially affect the basic and novelcharacteristics or function of the item(s) used in connection therewith.For example, trace elements present in a composition, but not affectingthe composition's nature or characteristics would be permissible ifpresent under the “consisting essentially of” language, even though notexpressly recited in a list of items following such terminology. Whenusing an open ended term in the written description like “comprising” or“including,” it is understood that direct support should be affordedalso to “consisting essentially of” language as well as “consisting of”language as if stated explicitly and vice versa.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in thedescription and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishingbetween similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particularsequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the termsso used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such thatthe embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operationin sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.Similarly, if a method is described herein as comprising a series ofsteps, the order of such steps as presented herein is not necessarilythe only order in which such steps may be performed, and certain of thestated steps may possibly be omitted and/or certain other steps notdescribed herein may possibly be added to the method.

The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,”“under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, areused for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describingpermanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms soused are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that theembodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation inother orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectlyconnected in an electrical or nonelectrical manner. “Directly coupled”items or objects are in physical contact and attached to one another.Objects described herein as being “adjacent to” each other may be inphysical contact with each other, in close proximity to each other, orin the same general region or area as each other, as appropriate for thecontext in which the phrase is used.

Occurrences of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or “in one aspect,”herein do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment or aspect.

As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to the complete ornearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property,state, structure, item, or result. For example, an object that is“substantially” enclosed would mean that the object is either completelyenclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree ofdeviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on thespecific context. However, generally speaking the nearness of completionwill be so as to have the same overall result as if absolute and totalcompletion were obtained. The use of “substantially” is equallyapplicable when used in a negative connotation to refer to the completeor near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state,structure, item, or result. For example, a composition that is“substantially free of” particles would either completely lackparticles, or so nearly completely lack particles that the effect wouldbe the same as if it completely lacked particles. In other words, acomposition that is “substantially free of” an ingredient or element maystill actually contain such item as long as there is no measurableeffect thereof.

As used herein, the term “about” is used to provide flexibility to anumerical range endpoint by providing that a given value may be “alittle above” or “a little below” the endpoint.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositionalelements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list forconvenience. However, these lists should be construed as though eachmember of the list is individually identified as a separate and uniquemember. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as ade facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based ontheir presentation in a common group without indications to thecontrary.

Concentrations, amounts, sizes, and other numerical data may beexpressed or presented herein in a range format. It is to be understoodthat such a range format is used merely for convenience and brevity andthus should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numericalvalues explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also toinclude all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassedwithin that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitlyrecited. As an illustration, a numerical range of “about 1 to about 5”should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited valuesof about 1 to about 5, but also include individual values and sub-rangeswithin the indicated range. Thus, included in this numerical range areindividual values such as 2, 3, and 4 and sub-ranges such as from 1-3,from 2-4, and from 3-5, etc., as well as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5,individually.

This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical valueas a minimum or a maximum. Furthermore, such an interpretation shouldapply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristicsbeing described.

Reference throughout this specification to “an example” means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the example is included in at least one embodiment. Thus,appearances of the phrases “in an example” in various places throughoutthis specification are not necessarily all referring to the sameembodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In thisdescription, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples oflayouts, distances, network examples, etc. One skilled in the relevantart will recognize, however, that many variations are possible withoutone or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components,layouts, measurements, etc. In other instances, well-known structures,materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail but areconsidered well within the scope of the disclosure.

EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

An initial overview of technology embodiments is provided below andspecific technology embodiments are then described in further detail.This initial summary is intended to aid readers in understanding thetechnology more quickly but is not intended to identify key or essentialfeatures of the technology nor is it intended to limit the scope of theclaimed subject matter.

Although current testing solutions are generally adequate, there aresome shortcomings. An adapter (e.g., an interposer or test socket board)that interfaces with a subject package for adapting a testing device tothe subject package may include circuitry that can cause performanceand/or signal modification issues, which can lead to uncertainty of thetest results. In addition, excessive loading during socketing can easilydamage subject packages, while an insufficient load applied duringsocketing can result in an inadequate electrical coupling. Test adapterscan also become damaged (e.g., wear, cracking, etc.) through repeateduse. Moreover, most test interface points are located on bottom sides ofpackage substrates and on lateral sides of interposer or test socketboard adapters, which can make access for testing difficult.

Accordingly, an electronic device package is disclosed that includes atest interface integrated within the package, which can eliminate theneed for a test adapter (e.g., an interposer or test socket board) andtherefore avoid its associated drawbacks. In one aspect, the testinterface can be accessible through a top side of the package. In oneexample, an electronic device package in accordance with the presentdisclosure can comprise a substrate. The electronic device package canalso comprise an electronic component disposed on the substrate andelectrically coupled to the substrate. The electronic device package canfurther comprise a connector disposed on the substrate and electricallycoupled to the substrate for communication with the electroniccomponent. The connector can have a contact to interface with a matingconnector and configured to provide a signal and/or power to theelectronic component to facilitate testing the electronic component.Additionally, the electronic component can comprise an encapsulantmaterial disposed on the substrate and at least partially encapsulatingthe electronic component and/or the connector. The contact can beaccessible on a top side of the electronic device package to facilitatecoupling the connector to a testing device. Associated systems andmethods are also disclosed.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary electronic device package 100 isschematically illustrated in cross-section. The electronic devicepackage 100 can include a substrate 110. The electronic device package100 can also include one or more electronic components disposed on andelectrically coupled to the substrate 110. Electronic components areidentified at 120-124.

An electronic component can be any electronic device or component thatmay be included in an electronic device package, such as a semiconductordevice (e.g., a die, a chip, a processor, computer memory, a platformcontroller hub, etc.). In one embodiment, some of the electroniccomponents may represent a discrete chip, which may include anintegrated circuit. The electronic components may be, include, or be apart of a processor (e.g., a CPU, a GPU, etc.), a computer memory device(e.g., ROM, SRAM, DRAM, flash memory, EEPROM, etc.), an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a platform controller hub (PCH), afield programmable gate array (FPGA), a modem, a system on a chip (SOC),a system in a package (SIP), or a package on a package (POP) in someembodiments. An electronic component can be any passive electronicdevice or component, such as a capacitor, resistor, etc. It should berecognized that any suitable number of electronic components can beincluded.

The substrate 110 may be of any suitable construction or material. Forexample, the substrate 110 may include typical substrate materials. Insome embodiments, the substrate 110 may be configured as an epoxy-basedlaminate substrate having a core and/or build-up layers. The substrate110 may be configured as other suitable types of substrates in otherembodiments. For example, the substrate can be formed primarily of anysuitable semiconductor material (e.g., a silicon, gallium, indium,germanium, or variations or combinations thereof, among othersubstrates), one or more insulating layers, such as glass-reinforcedepoxy, such as FR-4, polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), cotton-paperreinforced epoxy (CEM-3), phenolic-glass (G3), paper-phenolic (FR-1 orFR-2), polyester-glass (CEM-5), ABF (Ajinomoto Build-up Film), any otherdielectric material, such as glass, or any combination thereof, a groundlayer, signal or conductive layer (e.g. copper film) and solder resist,such as can be used in printed circuit boards (PCBs). In someembodiments, the substrate 110 can be constructed primarily of siliconand/or may be configured as an interposer or a redistribution layer(RDL).

The electronic components can be electrically coupled to the substrate110 according to a variety of suitable configurations including aflip-chip configuration, wire bonding, and the like. One or more of theelectronic components can be electrically coupled to the substrate 110using interconnect structures (e.g., solder balls or bumps and/or wirebonds) configured to route electrical signals between the electroniccomponents and the substrate 110. In some embodiments, the interconnectstructures may be configured to route electrical signals such as, forexample, I/O signals and/or power or ground signals associated with theoperation of the electronic components. In one aspect, the electroniccomponents 120 a-h can be in a stacked relationship, for example, tosave space and enable smaller form factors. It should be recognized thatany suitable number of electronic components can be included in a stack.At least some of the stacked electronic components can be wirebond basedintegrated circuits (e.g., ASIC, DRAM, and NAND). Such wirebond basedintegrated circuits can be electrically coupled to one another bywirebond connections.

The substrate 110 may include electrically conductive elements orelectrical routing features configured to route electrical signals to orfrom the electronic components. The electrical routing features may beinternal (e.g., disposed at least partially within a thickness of thesubstrate 110) and/or external to the substrate 110. For example, insome embodiments, the substrate 110 may include electrical routingfeatures such as pads, vias, and/or traces configured to receive theinterconnect structures and route electrical signals to or from theelectronic components. The pads, vias, and traces can be constructed ofthe same or similar electrically conductive materials, or of differentelectrically conductive materials. Any suitable electrically conductivematerial can be utilized, such as copper, gold, etc. In someembodiments, the substrate 110 can include a solder resist material orother surface treatment forming an outer layer of the substrate. Theelectronic device package 100 can also include interconnect structures111, such as solder balls, coupled to a bottom side of the substrate 110to facilitate electrically coupling the electronic device package 100with an external electronic component, such as a next level component(e.g., a substrate or circuit board such as a motherboard) for powerand/or signaling.

In addition, the electronic device package 100 can include one or moreconnectors 130 a, 130 b disposed on the substrate and electricallycoupled to the substrate for communication with one or more of theelectronic components. The connectors 130 a, 130 b can have respectivecontacts 131 a and 131 b to interface with mating connectors (notshown), which can be coupled to a testing device to test variouselectrical and/or performance aspects of the electronic device package100. Thus, for example, the contacts 131 a and 131 b can be configuredto provide signals and/or power to one or more of the electroniccomponents 120-124 to facilitate testing the electronic components whenoperably coupled to a testing device. The inclusion and integration ofthe connectors 130 a, 130 b in the package 100 can provide directcoupling to a testing device without the need for an adapter, such as aninterposer or test socket board. In other words, the connectors 130 a,130 b can serve as “test sockets” that are integrated into the package100. This configuration can enable the package 100 to be tested “standalone” prior to assembly with another component or after assembly on asystem board. Thus, component level testing and on-mount system leveldebugging is possible with the technology disclosed herein, for example,during development or system testing of production parts (e.g., by acustomer). In addition, due to the absence of a testing adapter, whichmay include its own circuitry, a testing device will measure only theperformance of the test subject with no uncertainty created by thepresence of the testing adapter.

The electronic device package 100 can further include an encapsulantmaterial 140. The encapsulant material 140 can be disposed on thesubstrate 110 and at least partially encapsulating one or more of theelectronic components 120-124 and/or one or more of the connectors 130a, 130 b. The contacts 131 a and 131 b can be accessible on a top side101 of the electronic device package 100 to facilitate coupling theconnectors 130 a, 130 b to a testing device. This top or verticalexposure to the test interface provided by the contacts 131 a, 131 b ofthe respective connectors 130 a, 130 b can provide easy access forconnecting with a testing device. The encapsulant material 140 cancomprise any suitable material, such as a mold compound material (e.g.,an epoxy).

A connector can have any suitable configuration. For example, theconnectors 130 a, 130 b can have respective housings 132 a, 132 b. Thehousing 132 a can be disposed about at least a lateral side 102 a of thecontacts 131 a, and the housing 132 b can be disposed about at least alateral side 102 b of the contacts 131 b. The lateral side 102 a of thecontacts 131 a can be an inner side that is opposite or adjacent to anouter lateral side 103 a of the contacts 131 a, which is oriented towardan outer lateral side 104 of the electronic device package 100.Similarly, the lateral side 102 b of the contacts 131 b can be an innerside that is opposite or adjacent to an outer lateral side 103 b of thecontacts 131 b, which is oriented toward an outer lateral side 105 ofthe electronic device package 100. In some embodiments, the housing 132a can be disposed about all lateral sides (e.g., the inner lateral side102 a and the outer lateral side 103 a) of the contacts 131 a, and/orthe housing 132 b can be disposed about all lateral sides (e.g., theinner lateral side 102 b and the outer lateral side 103 b) of thecontacts 131 b. In one aspect, the housings 132 a, 132 b can include anysuitable mechanical coupling or securing feature, such as threads, abayonet style coupling feature, a detent, etc. for securely coupling toa mating connector. The housings 132 a, 132 b can be constructed of anysuitable material, such as a polymer and/or a metal. In one aspect, thematerial forming the housings 132 a, 132 b and the encapsulant material140 can be the same or different materials, which may differ from thesubstrate 110 material.

The connectors 130 a, 130 b can be mounted to the substrate 110 in anysuitable manner. For example, the connectors 130 a, 130 b can be surfacemounted to the substrate 110 as shown in FIG. 1, such as by havingelectrical couplings between the contacts 131 a and one or more pads 112a of the substrate 110 and/or between the contacts 131 b and one or morepads 112 b of the substrate 110. For example, leads 133 a, 133 b canextend from or otherwise be electrically coupled to the respectivecontacts 131 a, 131 b. The leads 133 a, 133 b can be configured tocontact the one or more pads 112 a, 112 b of the substrate 110 and beelectrically coupled to the pads by soldering. In one embodiment, shownin FIG. 2, connectors 230 a, 230 b of an electronic device package 200can be through-hole mounted to a substrate 210. In this case, forexample, the connector 230 a can include leads 233 a configured as pinsthat extend from or are otherwise electrically coupled to contacts 231 aof the connector 230 a. The leads 233 a can be configured to extend atleast partially into one or more vias 212 a of the substrate 210 and beelectrically coupled to the vias by soldering.

In one aspect, a contact of a connector can have any suitableconfiguration. For example, the contacts 131 a and 131 b of FIG. 1 areconfigured as protrusions, such as pins, which can engage withreceptacles and/or contact pads of a mating connector. In anotherexample, the contacts 231 a and 231 b of FIG. 2 are configured asreceptacles, which can engage with protrusions (e.g., pins) of a matingconnector. A potting material 234 a, 234 b (e.g., an epoxy) or othersuitable structure may be disposed within respective housings 232 a, 232b of the connectors 230 a, 230 b to provide support for the contacts. Inother embodiments, contacts of a connector can be configured as contactpads, which can engage with protrusions (e.g., pins) of a matingconnector. In addition, contacts may be fixed or movable (e.g.,configured as “pogo pins), relative to the surrounding housing. Acontact can be formed of any suitable conductive material, such as ametal (e.g., copper, gold, steel, etc.) It should be recognized that asingle connector can have any suitable number of contacts, which mayinclude more than one connector type or configuration, such as aprotrusion, a receptacle, a pad, and/or any other suitable type ofelectrical contact for testing purposes. An electronic device packagecan also include any suitable number of connectors, which may includemultiple connectors that can be the same or different from one another.

In one aspect, a connector can be in any suitable location of theelectronic device package. In general, a connector can be locatedwherever there is available space (e.g. “real estate”) on the substrate110 and that will allow coupling with an external connector. Forexample, the connectors 130 a, 130 b can be located on a top side 113 ofthe substrate 110 and positioned laterally relative to one or more ofthe electronic components 120-124, which may also be located on the topside 113 of the substrate 110. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1,the connectors 130 a, 130 b can be proximate the respective lateralsides 104, 105 of the electronic device package 100 and thus be located“outside of” or “outboard to” the electronic components 120-124 (e.g.between the electronic components and an outer lateral side 104, 105 ofthe device package).

In one aspect, the encapsulant material 140 can be utilized to providemechanical reinforcement to the connectors 130 a, 130 b, such as bycontacting one or more sides of a connector housing. For example, theencapsulant material 140 can be disposed in contact with the housing 132a of the connector 130 a on one or more lateral sides 102 a, 103 a. Insome embodiments, the encapsulant material 140 can be disposed incontact with the housing 132 a of the connector 130 a on all lateralsides. In this case, the encapsulant material 140 can be continuousbetween one or more of the electronic components 120-124 and theconnector 130 a. In some embodiments, the encapsulant material 140 canbe disposed in contact with the housing 132 a on a bottom side 106 a ofthe housing 132 a. In this case, for example, the encapsulant material140 can be disposed between a portion of the housing 132 a and thesubstrate 110. In other words, the housing 132 a can be raised up orelevated above the top side 113 of the substrate 110 so that theencapsulant material 140 can be underneath the housing 132 a to providea better bond with the housing 132 a and support the connector 130 aduring use. Thus, the encapsulant material 140 can surround or partiallysurround the sides and bottom of the housings 132 a, 132 b. In oneaspect, the housings 132 a, 132 b can form “sockets” in the encapsulantmaterial 140 and the contacts 131 a, 131 b can be disposed at leastpartially in the respective sockets.

FIGS. 3A-3E schematically illustrate aspects of exemplary methods orprocesses for making an electronic device package, such as theelectronic device package 100. FIG. 3A illustrates a sidecross-sectional view of the substrate 110, which may be obtained as aninitial step in the process. As described above, the substrate 110 canhave any suitable configuration, such as including electrical routingfeatures (e.g., pads, vias, and/or traces), and can be constructed ofany suitable material.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the connectors 130 a, 130 b can be disposed on thesubstrate 110 such that the connectors 130 a, 130 b are electricallycoupled to the substrate 110, such as by electrically coupling the leads133 a of the contacts 131 a and the leads 133 b of the contacts 131 b toelectrical routing features (e.g., pads 112 a, 112 b, vias, etc.) of thesubstrate 110. The connectors 130 a, 130 b can be disposed on thesubstrate 110 utilizing any suitable process or technique, such assurface mounting (shown in FIG. 3B e.g., utilizing a reflow process withsolder paste), through-hole mounting (applicable for the embodimentshown in FIG. 2 e.g., utilizing wave soldering), etc. The connectors 130a, 130 b can be disposed in any suitable location about the substrate110, such as proximate respective lateral sides 114, 115 of thesubstrate 110. In one aspect, the housings 132 a, 132 b can be disposedabout one or more lateral sides 102 a, 103 a and 102 b, 103 b of therespective contacts 131 a, 131 b, which can facilitate formation of asocket or recess for the contacts in the later applied encapsulantmaterial. In some embodiments, the housings 132 a, 132 b can be disposedabout top sides 107 a, 107 b of the respective contacts 131 a, 131 b.The housings 132 a, 132 b can therefore form an enclosure about thecontacts 131 a, 131 b that renders the contacts inaccessible to protectand shield the contacts during encapsulation. The portion of thehousings covering the top sides 107 a, 107 b of the contacts 131 a, 131b can be removed following encapsulation to expose the contacts, asdescribed below.

As shown in FIG. 3C, various electronic components 120-124 (e.g., ASICand/or passive components) can also be disposed on the substrate 110such that the electronic components 120-124 are electrically coupled tothe substrate 110. The electronic components 120-124 can be disposed onthe substrate 110 utilizing any suitable process or technique, such as adie attach process, a film cure process, wire bonding, solder bumping,etc. Optionally, one or more of the electronic components 120-124 can beelectrically coupled to one or more of the connectors 130 a, 130 b, suchas to provide a signal and/or power to the electronic components tofacilitate testing the electronic components. The electronic components120-124 can be disposed or arranged in any suitable configuration aboutthe substrate 110. For example, the electronic components 120 can be ina stacked arrangement. In some embodiments, any of the stackedelectronic components 120 can be electrically coupled to another of thestacked electronic components by a flip chip and/or a wire bondconnection. In addition, any of the stacked electronic components 120can be electrically coupled to the substrate 110 by a flip chip and/or awire bond connection. The connectors 130 a, 130 b and the electroniccomponents 120-124 can be disposed about the top side 113 of thesubstrate 110 in any suitable location or arrangement relative to oneanother. For example, the various components can be arranged such thatthe connectors 130 a, 130 b are positioned laterally relative to one ormore of the electronic components 120-124. Although the connectors 130a, 130 b have been shown as being disposed on the substrate 110 prior tothe electronic components 120-124, it should be recognized that theelectronic components 120-124 can be disposed on the substrate 110 priorto or at the same time as the connectors 130 a, 130 b.

With the electronic components 120-124 and the connectors 130 a, 130 bcoupled to the substrate 110, the electronic components 120-124 and/orthe connectors 130 a, 130 b can be at least partially encapsulated. Theelectronic components 120-124 and the connectors 130 a, 130 b can beencapsulated by any suitable process or technique, such as a moldingprocess. In one aspect, the encapsulant material 140 can be disposed onthe substrate 110 and adjacent the housings 132 a, 132 b about any orall of the lateral sides 102 a, 103 a, the lateral sides 102 b, 103 b,and the bottom sides 106 a, 106 b of the respective connectors 130 a,130 b, as shown in FIG. 3D. Although not required, the encapsulantmaterial 140 can be disposed adjacent the housings 132 a, 132 b aboutthe top sides 107 a, 107 b of the respective connectors 130 a, 130 b. Inthis case, the respective housings 132 a, 132 b can be surrounded on atleast one of the lateral sides 102 a, 103 a and 102 b, 103 b, and thetop sides 107 a, 107 b by the encapsulant material 140. In one aspect,the encapsulant material 140 can be disposed adjacent the housings 132a, 132 b on the bottom sides 106 a, 106 b of the housings 132 a, 132 b,such that the encapsulant material 140 is between a portion of therespective housings 132 a, 132 b and the substrate 110. Thus, in someembodiments, the connectors 130 a, 130 b can be embedded andsubstantially covered by the encapsulant material 140. As mentionedabove, the portions of the housing on top or covering the top sides 107a, 107 b of the contacts 131 a, 131 b can protect or shield the contactsfrom contamination by the encapsulant material 140 during encapsulation.

Following encapsulation, as shown in FIG. 3E, the contacts 131 a, 131 bcan be exposed such that the contacts are accessible on the top side 101of the electronic device package 100 to facilitate coupling theconnectors 130 a, 130 b to a testing device. Portions of the housings132 a, 132 b and, in some embodiments, a portion of the encapsulantmaterial 140 can be removed to reveal the contacts 131 a, 131 b. Forexample, top portions of the housings 132 a, 132 b (i.e., over theconnectors 130 a, 130 b) can be removed to expose the contacts 131 a,131 b. In one aspect, portions of the housings 132 a, 132 b can also beremoved from one or more lateral sides 102 a, 103 a and 102 b, 103 b toexpose the contacts 131 a, 131 b. The remainder of the housings 132 a,132 b can establish a “socket” or space in the encapsulant material 140for coupling the contacts 131 a, 131 b, which are disposed at leastpartially within the sockets, with mating connectors for connection witha testing device. In some embodiments, a portion of the encapsulantmaterial 140 can be removed from the top sides 107 a, 107 b and/or onemore lateral sides 102 a, 103 a and 102 b, 103 b of the contacts 131 a,131 b to expose the contacts and make them accessible for coupling theconnectors 130 a, 130 b to a testing device.

A portion of the housing and/or the encapsulant material can be removedby any suitable material removal process or technique. For example, aportion of the housing and/or encapsulant material can be removed bygrinding, polishing, cutting, and/or machining. In some embodiments,portions of the housing and the encapsulant material can be removedsimultaneously using the same process. In some embodiments, the tops ofthe housings 132 a, 132 b and the top surface 141 of the encapsulantmaterial 140 can be in the same plane, which can result from a planarmaterial removal process. In one aspect, at least the housings canextend above the top of the highest electronic component or interconnectfeature so that the top portion of the housing can be removed to exposethe contacts without interfering with the proper encapsulation of theelectronic components and interconnect features. In some embodiments,substantially only the top portions of the housings 132 a, 132 b and,optionally, only encapsulant material proximate the housings 132 a, 132b may be removed, leaving other portions of the encapsulant material 140intact.

As further shown in FIG. 3E, interconnect structures (e.g., such assolder balls 111) can be disposed on or coupled to a bottom side of thesubstrate 110 to facilitate electrically coupling with an externalelectronic component in order to arrive at the completed electronicdevice package 100.

The process shown and described in FIGS. 3A-3E is presented in thecontext of a typical substrate serving as a base with components addedor built-up on the substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate 110 canbe configured as a redistribution layer. In this case, theredistribution layer can be “printed” or formed on the bottom of theelectronic components 120-124, the connectors 103 a, 130 b, and,optionally, the encapsulant material 140. Thus, in this embodiment, thesubstrate redistribution layer can be added at a later step in theprocess. In addition, although the process is shown and described in thecontext of making a single electronic device package unit, it should berecognized that the process can be utilized to make multiple electronicdevice package units simultaneously, such as at a panel or waferprocessing level.

In one aspect, FIGS. 3B-3D illustrate embodiments of electronic devicepackage precursors, which each include housings 132 a, 132 b disposedabout at least a lateral side and a top side of the contacts 131 a, 131b such that the contacts are covered or inaccessible. Each of theseelectronic device package precursors can be subjected to furtherprocessing as described above to create an electronic device package inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an example electronic component testingsystem 350. The testing system 350 can include an electronic devicepackage 300 as disclosed herein, and a testing device 351 operablycoupled to a connector 330 of the electronic device package via a matingconnector 352 to provide a signal and/or power to a contact 331 of theconnector 330 to test an electronic component 320 of the package 300.The testing device 350 can be any suitable type of testing device. Insome embodiments, the testing device 350 can comprise a computer. Incontrast to a typical testing adapter (e.g., an interposer, a testsocket, etc.), the package 300 includes an active electronic component320 (i.e., a die). Testing can be done at the component (e.g., unit),wafer, or panel level depending on the package manufacturing process.For example, a package can be manufactured in a variety of ways, such asat a legacy substrate strip level, wafer level, or panel level. In someembodiments, when a package is manufactured through a wafer or panellevel packaging process, a batch test (e.g., test hundreds of packagesat once) can be done at the wafer or panel level before the packageshave been singulated into individual units. In another embodiment, thepackage 300 can be a unit similar in structure to the packages 100 or200 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, and can be tested as anindividual unit or component that is physically distinct from otherpackages.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an example computing system 460. Thecomputing system 460 can include an electronic device package 400 asdisclosed herein, operably coupled to a motherboard 461. In one aspect,the computing system 460 can also include a processor 462, a memorydevice 463, a radio 464, a cooling system (e.g., a heat sink and/or aheat spreader) 465, a port 466, a slot, or any other suitable device orcomponent, which can be operably coupled to the motherboard 461. Thecomputing system 460 can comprise any type of computing system, such asa desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone,a server, a wearable electronic device, etc. Other embodiments need notinclude all of the features specified in FIG. 5, and may includealternative features not specified in FIG. 5.

EXAMPLES

The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

In one example there is provided, an electronic device packagecomprising a substrate, an electronic component disposed on thesubstrate and electrically coupled to the substrate, a connectordisposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the substrate forcommunication with the electronic component, the connector having acontact to interface with a mating connector and configured to provideat least one of a signal and power to the electronic component tofacilitate testing the electronic component, and an encapsulant materialdisposed on the substrate and at least partially encapsulating at leastone of the electronic component and the connector, wherein the contactis accessible on a top side of the electronic device package tofacilitate coupling the connector to a testing device.

In one example of an electronic device package, the connector ispositioned laterally relative to the electronic component.

In one example of an electronic device package, the connector isproximate a lateral side of the electronic device package.

In one example of an electronic device package, the connector is surfacemounted to the substrate.

In one example of an electronic device package, the connector isthrough-hole mounted to the substrate.

In one example of an electronic device package, the contact comprises aprotrusion, a receptacle, a pad, or a combination thereof.

In one example of an electronic device package, the connector comprisesa housing disposed about at least a lateral side of the contact.

In one example of an electronic device package, the housing forms asocket in the encapsulant material and the contact is disposed at leastpartially in the socket.

In one example of an electronic device package, the encapsulant materialis disposed between a portion of the housing and the substrate.

In one example of an electronic device package, the encapsulant materialis continuous between the electronic component and the connector.

In one example of an electronic device package, the encapsulant materialis disposed on all lateral sides of the connector.

In one example of an electronic device package, the encapsulant materialcomprises a mold compound material.

In one example of an electronic device package, the mold compoundmaterial comprises an epoxy.

In one example of an electronic device package, the substrate comprisesa redistribution layer.

In one example of an electronic device package, the electronic componentcomprises a plurality of electronic components.

In one example of an electronic device package, the electronic componentcomprises an integrated circuit.

In one example of an electronic device package, the integrated circuitcomprises an application specific integrated circuit, computer memory,or a combination thereof.

In one example, an electronic device package comprises interconnectstructures coupled to a bottom side of the substrate to facilitateelectrically coupling the electronic device package with an externalelectronic component.

In one example of an electronic device package, the interconnectstructures comprise solder balls.

In one example there is provided, an electronic device package precursorcomprising a substrate, and a connector disposed on the substrate andelectrically coupled to the substrate, the connector having a contact tointerface with a mating connector, and a housing disposed about at leasta lateral side and a top side of the contact such that the contact isinaccessible.

In one example, an electronic device package precursor comprises anelectronic component disposed on the substrate and electrically coupledto the substrate and the connector, wherein the contact is configured toprovide at least one of a signal and power to the electronic componentto facilitate testing the electronic component.

In one example, an electronic device package precursor comprises anencapsulant material disposed on the substrate and at least partiallyencapsulating at least one of the electronic component and theconnector, wherein the encapsulant material is disposed adjacent thehousing about the lateral side of the contact.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, theencapsulant material is disposed adjacent the housing about the top sideof the contact.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the connectoris positioned laterally relative to the electronic component.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the connectoris proximate a lateral side of the substrate.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the connectoris surface mounted to the substrate.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the connectoris through-hole mounted to the substrate.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the contactcomprises a protrusion, a receptacle, a pad, or a combination thereof.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the housingforms a socket in the encapsulant material and the contact is disposedat least partially in the socket.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, theencapsulant material is disposed between a portion of the housing andthe substrate.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, theencapsulant material is continuous between the electronic component andthe connector.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, theencapsulant material is disposed on all lateral sides of the connector.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, theencapsulant material comprises a mold compound material.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the moldcompound material comprises an epoxy.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the substratecomprises a redistribution layer.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the electroniccomponent comprises a plurality of electronic components.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the electroniccomponent comprises an integrated circuit.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, the integratedcircuit comprises an application specific integrated circuit, computermemory, or a combination thereof.

In one example, an electronic device package precursor comprisesinterconnect structures coupled to a bottom side of the substrate tofacilitate electrically coupling with an external electronic component.

In one example of an electronic device package precursor, theinterconnect structures comprise solder balls.

In one example, there is provided an electronic component testing systemcomprising an electronic device package and a testing device, theelectronic device package comprising a substrate, an electroniccomponent disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to thesubstrate, a connector disposed on the substrate and electricallycoupled to the substrate for communication with the electroniccomponent, the connector having a contact to interface with a matingconnector and configured to provide at least one of a signal and powerto the electronic component to facilitate testing the electroniccomponent, and an encapsulant material disposed on the substrate and atleast partially encapsulating at least one of the electronic componentand the connector, wherein the contact is accessible on a top side ofthe electronic device package to facilitate coupling the connector tothe testing device, the testing device being operably coupled to theconnector of the electronic device package to provide at least one of asignal and power to the contact to test the electronic component.

In one example of an electronic component testing system, the testingdevice comprises a computer.

In one example, there is provided a computing system comprising amotherboard and an electronic device package operably coupled to themotherboard, the electronic device package comprising a substrate, anelectronic component disposed on the substrate and electrically coupledto the substrate, a connector disposed on the substrate and electricallycoupled to the substrate for communication with the electroniccomponent, the connector having a contact to interface with a matingconnector and configured to provide at least one of a signal and powerto the electronic component to facilitate testing the electroniccomponent, and an encapsulant material disposed on the substrate and atleast partially encapsulating at least one of the electronic componentand the connector, wherein the contact is accessible on a top side ofthe electronic device package to facilitate coupling the connector to atesting device.

In one example of a computing system, the computing system comprises adesktop computer, a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, a server, a wearableelectronic device, or a combination thereof.

In one example of a computing system, the computing system furthercomprises a processor, a memory device, a cooling system, a radio, aslot, a port, or a combination thereof operably coupled to themotherboard.

In one example, there is provided a method for making an electronicdevice package comprising obtaining a substrate and disposing aconnector on the substrate such that the connector is electricallycoupled to the substrate, the connector having a contact to interfacewith a mating connector, and a housing disposed about at least a lateralside and a top side of the contact such that the contact isinaccessible.

In one example, a method for making an electronic device packagecomprises disposing an electronic component on the substrate such thatthe electronic component is electrically coupled to the substrate andthe connector, wherein the contact is configured to provide at least oneof a signal and power to the electronic component to facilitate testingthe electronic component.

In one example, a method for making an electronic device packagecomprises disposing an encapsulant material on the substrate and atleast partially encapsulating at least one of the electronic componentand the connector, wherein the encapsulant material is disposed adjacentthe housing about the lateral side of the contact.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theencapsulant material is disposed adjacent the housing about the top sideof the contact.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theconnector is positioned laterally relative to the electronic component.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theconnector is proximate a lateral side of the substrate.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package,disposing a connector on the substrate comprises surface mounting theconnector to the substrate.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package,disposing a connector on the substrate comprises through-hole mountingthe connector to the substrate.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, thecontact comprises a protrusion, a receptacle, a pad, or a combinationthereof.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, thehousing forms a socket in the encapsulant material and the contact isdisposed at least partially in the socket.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theencapsulant material is disposed between a portion of the housing andthe substrate.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theencapsulant material is continuous between the electronic component andthe connector.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theencapsulant material is disposed on all lateral sides of the connector.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theencapsulant material comprises a mold compound material.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, themold compound material comprises an epoxy.

In one example, a method for making an electronic device packagecomprises exposing the contact such that the contact is accessible on atop side of the electronic device package to facilitate coupling theconnector to a testing device.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package,exposing the contact comprises removing a portion of the housing from atop side of the connector.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package,removing the portion of the housing comprises grinding, polishing,cutting, machining, or a combination thereof.

In one example, a method for making an electronic device packagecomprises exposing the contact such that the contact is accessible on atop side of the electronic device package to facilitate coupling theconnector to a testing device.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package,exposing the contact comprises removing encapsulant material from a topside of the connector.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package,removing encapsulant material comprises grinding, polishing, cutting,machining, or a combination thereof.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package,exposing the contact comprises removing a portion of the housing from atop side of the connector.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package,removing the portion of the housing comprises grinding, polishing,cutting, machining, or a combination thereof.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, thesubstrate comprises a redistribution layer.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theelectronic component comprises a plurality of electronic components.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theelectronic component comprises an integrated circuit.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theintegrated circuit comprises an application specific integrated circuit,computer memory, or a combination thereof.

In one example, a method for making an electronic device packagecomprises coupling interconnect structures to a bottom side of thesubstrate to facilitate electrically coupling with an externalelectronic component.

In one example of a method for making an electronic device package, theinterconnect structures comprise solder balls.

Circuitry used in electronic components or devices (e.g. a die) of anelectronic device package can include hardware, firmware, program code,executable code, computer instructions, and/or software. Electroniccomponents and devices can include a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium which can be a computer readable storage medium that doesnot include signal. In the case of program code execution onprogrammable computers, the computing devices recited herein may includea processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (includingvolatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least oneinput device, and at least one output device. Volatile and non-volatilememory and/or storage elements may be a RAM, EPROM, flash drive, opticaldrive, magnetic hard drive, solid state drive, or other medium forstoring electronic data. Node and wireless devices may also include atransceiver module, a counter module, a processing module, and/or aclock module or timer module. One or more programs that may implement orutilize any techniques described herein may use an applicationprogramming interface (API), reusable controls, and the like. Suchprograms may be implemented in a high level procedural or objectoriented programming language to communicate with a computer system.However, the program(s) may be implemented in assembly or machinelanguage, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled orinterpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations.

While the forgoing examples are illustrative of the specific embodimentsin one or more particular applications, it will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications in form, usage anddetails of implementation can be made without departing from theprinciples and concepts articulated herein.

1. An electronic device package, comprising: a substrate; at least oneelectronic component disposed on the substrate and electrically coupledto the substrate; a connector disposed on the substrate and electricallycoupled to the substrate for communication with the electroniccomponent, the connector having a contact to interface with a matingconnector and configured to provide at least one of a signal and powerto the electronic component to facilitate testing the electroniccomponent, and a housing disposed about at least a lateral side of thecontact; and an encapsulant material disposed on the substrate and atleast partially encapsulating at least one of the electronic componentand the connector, wherein the encapsulant material interfaces with alateral side of the housing, and the contact is accessible on a top sideof the electronic device package to facilitate coupling the connector toa testing device.
 2. The electronic device package of claim 1, whereinthe connector is positioned laterally relative to the electroniccomponent.
 3. The electronic device package of claim 1, wherein theconnector is adjacent to a lateral side of the electronic devicepackage.
 4. The electronic device package of claim 1, wherein theconnector is surface mounted to the substrate.
 5. The electronic devicepackage of claim 1, wherein the connector is through-hole mounted to thesubstrate.
 6. The electronic device package of claim 1, wherein thecontact comprises a protrusion, a receptacle, a pad, or a combinationthereof.
 7. (canceled)
 8. The electronic device package of claim 1,wherein the encapsulant material is continuous between the electroniccomponent and the connector.
 9. The electronic device package of claim1, wherein the encapsulant material is disposed on all lateral sides ofthe connector.
 10. The electronic device package of claim 1, wherein theencapsulant material comprises a mold compound material.
 11. Theelectronic device package of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises aredistribution layer.
 12. The electronic device package of claim 1,wherein the at least one electronic component comprises a plurality ofelectronic components.
 13. The electronic device package of claim 1,wherein the electronic component comprises an integrated circuit. 14.The electronic device package of claim 1, further comprisinginterconnect structures coupled to a bottom side of the substrate tofacilitate electrically coupling the electronic device package with anexternal electronic component.
 15. The electronic device package ofclaim 14, wherein the interconnect structures comprise solder balls. 16.A method for making an electronic device package, comprising: obtaininga substrate; disposing a connector on the substrate such that theconnector is electrically coupled to the substrate, the connector havinga contact to interface with a mating connector, and a housing disposedabout at least a lateral side and a top side of the contact such thatthe contact is inaccessible; and disposing an encapsulant material onthe substrate and at least partially encapsulating the connector,wherein the encapsulant material interfaces with a lateral side of thehousing, and the encapsulant material is disposed adjacent the housingabout the lateral side of the contact.
 17. The method of claim 16,further comprising disposing an electronic component on the substratesuch that the electronic component is electrically coupled to thesubstrate and the connector, wherein the contact is configured toprovide at least one of a signal and power to the electronic componentto facilitate testing the electronic component.
 18. The method of claim16, wherein the connector is adjacent to a lateral side of thesubstrate.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein disposing a connector onthe substrate comprises surface mounting the connector to the substrate.20. The method of claim 16, wherein disposing a connector on thesubstrate comprises through-hole mounting the connector to thesubstrate.
 21. The method of claim 16, wherein the contact comprises aprotrusion, a receptacle, a pad, or a combination thereof.
 22. Theelectronic device package of claim 1, wherein a material of the housingis different than the encapsulant material.